On Aug. 3, the Army launched a new advertising campaign — the first in its history geared specifically at officer recruitment.

The effort, in development for the past year, includes a television blitz and a detailed Web site, both designed to generate awareness of officer options in the Army.

“We just felt there was a need to stress the benefits of being an Army officer,” said Bruce Jasurda, chief marketing officer for Army Accessions Command. “We are a nation at war, and the Army needs leaders, and we’ll continue to need leaders.”

The Army is under strength in the officer corps. Shortages of both majors and captains are projected for the next couple years — captains by about 2,000 and majors by about 3,000, Army Times reported in June."